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September 24, 2010

St. Charles Co. ban off the table, work remains for fair treatment

by support

Big news on the proposed St. Charles County bike ban.

County Councilmember Jerry Daugherty has removed his support for Bill 3620, which would ban bicycling on key routes through St. Charles County, MO. With that, the threat of a bicycle ban is essentially over. Thanks to everyone who took action to help stop this ban including St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, Missouri Bicycle& Pedestrian Federation and TrailNet. Extra special thanks to local cyclists and bike shop owners who spoke out in public meetings against the proposed bans. Your hard work not only benefits other local cyclists, but the cycling community as a whole.

Though the proposed ban may be behind us, the fight for fair treatment in St. Charles still remains. Since the introduction of the bike ban bill, other bills have been put forth calling for items such as flags, mirrors and other non-standard equipment for bikes; a requirement to ride 20 inches from the fog line; and a low cap on organized rides unless a special permit is acquired. Like the proposed ban, these requirements would only be along specific state-owned roadways within the county, are inconsistent with current state codes and have been proposed with little to no input from the bicycling community. Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation has put forth its own set of changes to St. Charles County law. Action is still needed from local St. Charles County cyclists! Please attend the next County Council meeting Monday, Sept. 27 at Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m.